1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user-interfaces for computer systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus that uses advanced graphics rendering capability to solve user interaction issues in selecting and running multiple applications on screens with physical size limitations.
2. Related Art
The Internet has made seamless access to information a common facet in the everyday life of millions of computer users. Advances in communications and computing technology have led to dramatic changes in the way and the frequency with which people access information, and have led to an expectation that data should be accessible anywhere and at any time via mobile devices. As a result, devices such as mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), and car navigation systems have grown to become increasingly sophisticated. While such devices have in the past supported only a limited number of applications run serially, they have begun to evolve to include a larger number of applications, with multiple applications running concurrently.
Attempts to apply the set of interface techniques developed for personal computers to mobile devices have led to user-interface issues. For example, due to physical limitations in screen size, individual mobile applications typically fill the entire screen. The combination of screen size and computing constraints make it a challenge to display multiple applications and to cleanly switch between applications. For example, abrupt application changes can give the user a false impression that an application has terminated. Other metaphors for displaying current running applications, such as a taskbar (common on desktops) or a key-triggered application list (common on palm-pilot PDAs), also suffer in such an environment.
Ongoing hardware developments offer potential for improvement. Some devices have incorporated unique input methods, such as a jog dial and touch screen, as well as advanced output methods, such as stereo sound. The latest high-end mobile phones include a three-dimensional (3D) accelerator that provides a significant improvement in graphics rendering capability. However, to date such graphics capabilities have primarily been used to display “eye candy,” and have not led to changes in the user-interface paradigm.
Hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus that remedies the above-described interaction issues on small devices.